PIB Summary- 26th February, 2023 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Exercise Cobra Warrior

Details

• The Indian Air Force(IAF) is participating in Exercise Cobra Warrior at the Waddington Air Force Base of the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom.
• The exercise will be held from 6 Mar 23 to 24 Mar 2023.
• The contingent comprises 145 Air Warriors. 
• It is a multilateral Air exercise in which Air Forces from the U.K., India, Finland, Sweden, South Africa, the United States of America, and Singapore.
• The aim of the exercise is to engage fighters in diverse fighter activities and learn from the best practices of each other.
• Notably, IAF would participate with five Mirage 2000 fighters, two C-17 Globemaster III, and an IL-78 mid-air refueller aircraft. 

Banjara Dharmaguru Santh Sevalal Maharaj Jayanti

Context
Ministry of culture is celebrating Banjara Dharmaguru Santh Sevalal Maharaj Jayanti for the first time.

Details

• The yearlong commemoration of the birth anniversary of Santh Sevalal Maharaj under the aegis of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav begins on 26th February 2023.
• A two-day event (26-27 February 2023) as a part of the 284th Jayanti celebrations is being held in New Delhi.
• A special train is also being run from Karnataka (covering Telangana, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh) to help the people of the Banjara community reach Delhi for the event.
• Santh Sevalal Maharaj is the Spiritual & Religious Leader of the Banjara Community.

Banjara Dharmaguru Santh Sevalal Maharaj

• Santh Sevalal Maharaj was a social reformer and spiritual teacher of the Banjara community.
• He was born on 15 February 1739 at Surgondankoppa in the Shivamogga district of Karnataka. 
• He travelled across the country to serve the nomadic tribes and forest dwellers.
• He has extraordinary knowledge, skills, and spiritual background in Ayurveda and Naturopathy and could thus dispel and eradicate myths and superstitions prevalent in the tribal communities.
• He was a reformer of Tribal life and is a revered symbol of every Banjara family.
• The Samadhi Sthal of the Saint is located in Manora Taluka (Washim District), Maharashtra. It is also known as Banjara Kashi.

Banjara Community

• The population of the Banjara community in India is around 10 to 12 crore.
• The community has permanently abandoned their nomadic lifestyle and settled in their settlements called Tandas.
• The Banjara community settled in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh with different names.